Spurs win by testing Heat's willpower
— -- SAN ANTONIO -- The San Antonio Spurs are willing to go the extra mile to beat the Miami Heat -- almost literally.
Data tracking by SportVU showed Spurs players covered 17.6 miles on the court in Game 4, compared with 16.7 miles by the Heat. It's indicative that the Spurs are moving their bodies in addition to moving the ball (the Spurs made 106 more passes in the game than the Heat did). Game 3 featured the exact same discrepancies: .9 more in miles and 106 more passes for the Spurs than the Heat.
The Spurs are testing the Heat's willpower, preying on the Heat's physical and mental fatigue. The Heat have played 86 playoff games in the past four seasons. With at least one game left in these NBA Finals, the Heat have already eclipsed the 85 games played by the last team to reach four consecutive Finals, the 1984-87 Boston Celtics, thanks in part to the expansion of the first round to a best-of-seven format.
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